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Aziz helped lead two coups before serving two terms as president
of the northwest African country and becoming a counterterrorism
partner to Western nations.
He was sentenced in 2023 after being found guilty of money
laundering and self-enrichment. According to investigators, he
accumulated over $70 million in assets while in power. He has
been in custody since the verdict.
The trial marked a rare instance in which an African leader was
tried for corruption. Aziz’s lawyers have framed the trial as
score-settling between him and current President Mohamed Ould
Cheikh Ghazouani.
Wednesday's verdict cleared six senior officials from the former
president’s administration, but sentenced Aziz's son-in-law to
two years in prison for influence peddling. The court also
ordered the dissolution of the “Errahma” (Mercy) Foundation led
by Aziz’s son and the seizure of his assets.
Ghazouani and Aziz were allies until Ghazouani became president
in 2019 in the country’s first peaceful transfer of government
since independence. They fought over Aziz’s attempts to take
over a major political party after leaving office. A
parliamentary commission opened a corruption inquiry against
Aziz and 11 others in 2020.
Mauritania is rich in natural resources including iron ore,
copper, zinc, phosphate, gold, oil and natural gas. Yet almost
60% of the population lives in poverty, according to the United
Nations, working as farmers or employed informally. With few
economic opportunities for young people, many are attempting to
reach Europe, and some are trying to reach the United States
through Mexico.
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